I Hurt
by ThisVioletofMine
Summary: AU. In a desperate attempt to return Karai to human form, Shredder calls on an expert team of scientists to perfect a retromutagen guaranteed to make the subject 100% human. The chosen test subject? Hamato Donatello.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, all! Guess what I'm doing- _again_? That right! Starting **_**another**_ **new story while I already have three others I need to get my butt into gear on! I guess I just really missed writing for this fandom- my very first fandom, from when I was six years old- and wanted to try again! Also, this idea wouldn't stop bugging me! Seriously, my mind is just all over the place!  
**

 **Okay, so this chapter is technically a prologue, and I DO have ideas for future chapters, but it could also work as a oneshot or whatever, if you think it's great where it ends here. Lemme know what you think!**

 **Forewarning: as mentioned above, I already have three multichapter fics going. I am not one to abandon stories, so I do want to keep updating all of them, but laziness, being busy (in real life or with aforementioned other fics) or getting writer's block always seems to be my downfall with fics, so it might be a long time between chapters. Please be patient with me! I do promise that, unless this fic gets zero reviews the whole time I write for it, I WILL NOT ABANDON IT.**

 **WARNINGS: Grotesque descriptions of experimental procedures, lots of whumpage, lots of pain. Not exactly for the faintest of heart.**

 **And with that positive note, enjoy!**

 **Prologue**

I hurt.

I hurt so much, and I wonder- _why aren't they fixing it?_ They always fix my hurts, my aches and pains. At least, they _did_. How many days are left of this torture?

I groan and try rolling onto my side to relieve the pressure on my _not-a-shell_. Everything screams in pain- damned endless _agony_ \- and I stop moving. It's not worth it after all.

I close my eyes, and this pushes the constant layer of water out and down my cheek. I'm sure that months ago, I _could_ have given some sort of scientific explanation for this. But it hurts. So I don't.

I don't do much of anything anymore. It hurts to do anything. My body does not like its new form.

They have changed me so many times. There was the Initial, the most painful change. After that they continuously scrutinized me and injected me to fix any mistakes in my appearance.

"Wake up, Dear." Someone- no, I know this person- is shaking my shoulder very gently. Maya knows that jostling _hurts_ , and is the only one who cares enough to avoid it.

"'urts." I inform her. If I really try, I can pull up several memories of a big vocabulary- but it hurts. So I don't. The past is too painful to bring to mind, takes too much effort. My brain is delicate, at least, that's what Maya has said.

I keep my eyes closed, because they burn more than usual, and I can just barely hear her sigh.

"I know, Donatello. It's for a reason, though: you see, the doctors need to determine how long it will take for the pain to go away on its own. All signs point to it ending soon, Dear, don't worry. Open your eyes, now." But I really don't want to. It hurts. But I do it anyway, because Maya is friendly and I don't want to risk losing her over a temporary hurt.

Her fingers are warm as she slides them softly down the sides of my face, poking gently at my nose- careful of the stitches, my eyebrows, my ears, my jaw. It hurts, and I whimper, but that hurts, too, so I sit quietly. She examines the stitches along my earlobe- tells me they're healing nicely.

Maya helps me sit up; it hurts so much that the tears on my face are now because of pain. I cry, and she smiles sympathetically at me before she scoops me up as carefully as possible and carries me to the showers. It's an odd feeling, being smaller than a female human to the point where she can lift me, but I've grown used to it.

She unbuttons my gown and hangs it neatly on the hook, leaving me in shorts- I am grateful that she respects my newfound privacy. She sits me on a cushioned bench and turns on the water, but it's so cold that it burns. It gradually heats, and then it is tolerable- even nice, relaxing my taut muscles.

"I'll make this as quick as possible, okay?" She offers, and I nod. I would thank her, but for once most of my body _doesn't_ hurt, and I don't want to waste this reprieve.

Maya is old, about fifty, and very motherly. Her soft hands feel nice as they scrub through my lengthy hair and massage my sore scalp. I would try washing myself, but moving hurts. Doing anything other than lying limply hurts. So I don't.

After Mitchell comes in and grudgingly washes the rest of me, with Maya taking this opportunity to switch out my bed sheets, Calliope comes in and forcefully shoves me back into my gown before opening her dreaded kit. The pain has returned, and I'm tired and cold, so I whimper all the more when her tiny flashlight is shoved into my mouth so she can stare down my throat. She hums and pries my eyes open one at a time, shining the bright light into them mercilessly. She makes a face and I know that, later, I'll be getting another corrective injection into my right eyeball. But worrying about it hurts, so I don't bother to.

"Pain level today?" She asks mechanically, but now my eyes have caught on a strange machine in her bag, and I lose my focus as an old, repressed part of me emerges to curiously study it and wonder what it does and what it's made of. She snaps in my face, making me jump and screech in surprise- this further upsets my throbbing vocal cords, and now my throat is bleeding slightly. She seems unapologetic and repeats her question.

I would show her the number with my fingers, but I now have four extras that I still can't control, so I don't.

"Teh… Ten." I rasp. She looks disapprovingly at me and jots this down. "C-C'lipey?" I ask hesitantly. She returns her gaze to me. "Br-"

"No." She cuts me off, and I sag in defeat. Maya returns and rescues me from the unfeeling woman- I'm sure I could come up with a great insult, if I had the energy and coherency to- and places me back on my bed. It used to be a hard cot, but when my pain levels became astronomical on a regular basis, my caretaker was able to convince the higher staff to replace it with a real mattress.

Calliope and Mitchell leave with their supplies, and now it's just Maya in my tiny prison with me. She sits on the edge of my mattress and, seeing my shiver, pulls the comforter over me, then brushes wet brown locks from my forehead lovingly. She is my only reason to stay sane in this hellish place full of pain and change. She treats me as though I am her son, and although I've only been in her care for a little less than a year, I can almost reciprocate her affections. She has always been kind and gentle with me when the scientists- like Calliope- are not.

"Ma?" I ask. I can barely speak nowadays, and so must shorten the few necessary words I still use to two syllables or less, with certain sounds, like 'yuh', being too hard on my tongue and jaw to use.

"Yes, Donatello?" She replies, rubbing my shoulder gently.

"Br… ah… thurs?" I sound out, slowly, determinedly. She doesn't interrupt me as Calliope always does.

"Haven't shown up yet, I'm afraid." She says, genuinely sad for me. Which is good, because being sad hurts me- so I don't.

"w… en?" I spit out slightly bloody saliva, which she tenderly wipes from my lip.

"I don't know, honey."

"Ew'll… el..p… thim… 'eer… ite?" She places a finger over my mouth to silence me.

"No more talking now, hon- you'll agitate your throat too much. Will I help them here?" I nod, and she leans forward to whisper in my ear. "The very first opportunity I'm given, I promise you, I'll help your brothers get you home. Shredder has been anxious lately over their increased activity, so it shouldn't be long now until I have a chance to get their attention." She pulls back and combs my hair with her fingers. "Oh, sweetheart, I hate what they've done to you. You were so beautiful the way you naturally were." While I don't actively remember much anymore- all memories are still there, but I'm too tired and pained to dig through them- I do recall a natural feeling of shame at the way my brothers and I had always been shunned for our appearances. Her words make me smile ever so slightly. She sees my attempt and tears enter her eyes. "There you go, baby. Don't let this break you; sometimes you just need to smile that gorgeous smile of yours." She kisses my forehead, quickly reapplies the makeup to my earlobe to make it match the rest of my ear in color, then gives a short goodbye before heading home for the night.

I don't fall asleep for hours, simply lying there in silent suffering as differing pains shoot up from each part of this cursed body.

My hand aches from where the multiple injections have left their marks, from the many surgeries to correct their mistakes, from the acid burns left over from overexposure to tampered mutagen. The stitches from the site of the most recent surgery- removal of an accidental sixth finger- throb painfully with each breath I take.

The recovering incision across the bridge of my nose makes the pressure from swallowing immensely uncomfortable; my new nose was lacking in cartilage and bone, so they had to go in and inject some to make it look normal.

My calves cramp constantly as my muscles attempt to slowly adjust to the change in bone structure; the pain was made worse when they accidentally shortened the leg muscles _too_ much in an attempt to help my body adapt to being shorter.

My back is so sore that I can't move a millimeter without it sending white-hot stabs of agony throughout my nervous system. The damage done by frantic attempts to scrape and rip off, dig out, and surgically remove remaining shell fragments imbedded in my fleshy back has yet to repair in the slightest, even after all these torturous months.

When I was little- this is the bare minimum I can recall without giving myself a massive headache- I used to dream of what it was like to be human. I always imagined how wonderful it must be to fit in on the surface, to not be afraid to show yourself to everyone you encounter.

Now that I am as human as Shredder's scientists can make me, I can safely say that I would give almost anything to be a freakish mutant again. Because being human is horrendously, blindingly, unendingly _painful_.

 **Let me know what you think, Lovelies!**

 **And here's a poorly-placed MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope my chapter hasn't made your holidays depressing! :D**

 **God Bless!**

 **-Violet**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all of my lovely readers for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! I'm glad you like it so far! :D**

"Good job, Honey- you're doing great." Maya encouraged the boy. He nodded in acknowledgement and continued his hesitant steps, one hand running along the wall just in case. His legs were shaking and his gait was awkward, the skinny appendages looking close to buckling. His thinner feet were not doing his balance any favors.

"How much," He panted, "longer?" She could tell he was exhausted.

"Just ten more steps- then you're done, I promise." Donatello gulped in oxygen and raised his foot again. "'ey! Walk flat!" She ordered, gesturing to the way he was standing on his toes to the point that his foot was bowing forward, his toes bending backwards under the weight. He tried to comply, but hissed in pain as his heels were lowered before he quickly raised them again.

"I can't! It hurts my legs!" He argued. She frowned and declared the exercise done for the day, escorting him back to his bed.

His dinner for the day included soup, soft bread, and some vitamin water- everything else was too hard on his sore teeth. He ate slowly, working around the alien shape of his mouth more easily than a few months prior, and refused to make eye contact with her.

"Dear, what's wrong?" Maya asked, rubbing his shoulder gently. It had been one month since his pain had diminished, but she was still mindful of his sore muscles. He had been more functional _before_ the test, where Calliope cut off his constant dosage of pain medication (and, Maya suspected, his antibiotics- probably to test how his body dealt with illness) to see how long it would take for the adjustment pains to go away on their own, and how well his new form handled pain. He'd even been able to bend backwards without too much of an issue. The onslaught of pain from the experiment and the consequent lack of physical therapy had set him back several months in terms of physical rehabilitation, and his immune system was now having a harder time fighting off disease as an unexpected result. Even now his cheeks were flushed with fever, as had become the usual, and his eyes were slightly glazed over.

He ran his tongue along his left canine before replying, quietly, "They're not coming, are they?" The broken child he sounded like broke her heart.

"Oh, Honey…" She whispered, pulling him into a hug. He was several inches shorter than her, and his head rested on her shoulder. "They'll come for you- I know they will! We just need a plan of action to help them get here." Donatello nodded into her lab coat with a sniffle. Another unexpected effect- in the early months, he was accidentally injected with some of the female hormones meant for Shredder's daughter, and since then had become much more easily upset. There was also the 'feminine figure' debacle of Month 2, but he hated when anyone spoke of it (before the error was corrected with a dose of male hormones and a few surgical procedures, Mitchell took endless joy in calling him 'Jlo', much to the boy's embarrassment.)

"How would we do that?" He asked, voice muffled. Maya ran her hand through his hair and leaned to whisper in his ear to avoid the less-friendly scientists overhearing.

"I have an idea, now that you're able to move around again." She said. "If you can tell me the general area where they're likely to be, I can sneak out there, hopefully snag their attention, and tell them you're here." Donatello nodded slightly, but then his brow furrowed.

"How will you convince them you're being truthful? They'll need proof." He pointed out. She hummed thoughtfully.

"How about this: I download your file onto a flash drive- they know how to access those, right?" He nodded. "Alright, so your file has plenty of pictures and videos of your gradual transformation, plus detailed information on your progress that they can read- then we can take a picture of you and I to show that I am, indeed, helping you. They can read the file, they'll know where you are and what condition you're in, and then they can take you home."

He seemed to like this idea, but he shook his head after a moment's contemplation. "The problem is, this place is so heavily guarded by Foot ninjas and sometimes Shredder himself- I don't want my brothers to get hurt on my account." He asserted, thinking through strategies. "What if you got the police to raid the building? The Foot would flee to avoid any connections being made between the illegal activity and their clan, and the police could take me- a victim of human experimentation- to a hospital, where my brothers could easily break me out! If we do it right, it would work- the odds would be 87% in our favor!" With his growing excitement and this new spark of determination and hope, his eyes were positively shining with a happiness that made her heart flutter.

He was so beautiful when he was happy, especially since it had been months since she'd seen such an expression on him. However, his brown eyes were so wide that she could see the scarring from injections directly into his eyeballs- the right one always seemed to cause more trouble than the left, meaning it was especially puckered and warped in appearance; that eye in particular constantly regained its red pigmentation, an unnatural eye color in humans and therefore something to be 'fixed' with chemicals to turn them a 'normal' brown.

She winced internally when she could clearly see bloody red interspersed in the brown depths of his right eye again. He would need another injection- the first one in a little less than a month- and this time he wasn't delirious with pain enough to remain relatively unfazed with the procedure. She had to break him out of here before they injected him again- one, it was one of the most scarring things he experienced in this captivity, meaning he was unresponsive for days afterward each time, and two, the chemicals they used were strong, and if they did it too much more, she feared he would lose sight in his eye.

"That's a good plan." She agreed. "I'll do my best."

The glimmer in his eyes dimmed a little as he thought of something else. "Maya, this puts a lot of trouble on you- if you're caught, you could be killed. I… Please think this through carefully- are you absolutely sure you're willing to risk it? You do need to think of yourself, because if you died on my account, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." He said slowly, regretfully. Her gaze softened and she ran a hand over his.

"Sweetie, I'm getting old- I've lived so much of my life already. You're still just a boy; you've got a long, successful life ahead of you, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you live it." She swore. He nodded and leaned his head more heavily on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Maya. You're so kind. I don't know what I'd do without you." He murmured sleepily. She grinned and helped him lie down.

"It's my pleasure, Donatello. Now, hold still for a moment." She ordered, taking out her phone and posing beside him. He smiled genuinely, though tiredly, and made a thumbs-up at the camera.

She snapped the picture before finishing their nightly routine and slipping through the door.

 _Line Break_

Two days later, at two in the morning, Maya found herself on the cold streets of downtown New York, several miles away from the lab. She was making an honest effort to stay in alleyways and shadows, always alert for any turtle-shaped figures fighting crime or searching for their fourth.

After several hours with no results, however, she decided to move on to plan B- she used a rusty pipe to lever the manhole cover off before slipping into the dank sewers. Donatello had said they lived underground in this general vicinity, and since the sanitation workers would all be asleep at home right now, she could shout as much as she pleased without anyone besides the mutants hearing.

"I'm looking for the family of Donatello Hamato!" She yelled, her voice echoing into the darkness tauntingly. She walked slowly, her tiny flashlight providing her a small window of visibility. "I know where your brother is, and I can lead you to him!"

She continued walking and shouting for almost twenty minutes with no change. Were they on the surface right now? Wasn't there supposed to be a father who stayed in their lair? Surely someone had heard her by now, and with what she was promising, they daren't ignore her.

Maya pulled her winter coat securely around herself, shivering and watching her breath as it turned to fog. It smelled so bad down here, and it was so damp! The scents assaulted her viciously.

"I'm looking for the three brothers or the father of Donatello Hamato! He told me that you live nearby- I know at least _one_ of you has heard me by now, surely! I mean you no harm!" She pleaded with the emptiness, fully aware that every step she took was pulling her further and further away from civilization as she trudged deeper into the bowels of the sewer system that was rarely explored. "I'm fifty-four years old, female, 5'6", and I weigh a hundred and forty pounds! I physically _can't_ harm you! I have no weapons or any experience with any sort of combat! The only things I have on my person- besides clothing- are a flashlight, my cellphone, and a flash drive that has all the information you need! I come only with the intention of helping you return your sweet brother home!" By now it was getting ridiculous. She could feel a shift in the air as some sort of large presence joined her in the tunnel, but she could see or hear no one- obviously the ninja turtles weren't going to reveal themselves just yet. She found that annoying and decided that the only peaceful tactic she had left was to prove that she was a friend of their brother.

"Donatello and I are very close friends- he's like a surrogate son to me. We've spent nearly a year in constant company. He's been experimented on-" a tiny whimper, barely audible, came from the impenetrable shadows, "- and changed, and I'm the only one who is kind to him. I bring him his food, clean his cell, brush his teeth, and give him company- I know him very well by now."

" _Prove it_." Came a deep, intimidating voice from the shadows. She jumped at the sudden break in the silence before choosing a relatively clean place to sit down. She'd found them, she was sure of that, so there was no need to venture any further- besides, her joints were killing her.

"Alright- just, before I say anything further, I'd like to point out that all information told to me was willingly given, not forced out of him." She asserted, stuffing her hands in her pockets, not bothering with the flashlight. She didn't need to see where she was going anymore, and it was obvious that it would not help her catch a glimpse of the elusive creatures. "Also, I'm trusting you not to hurt me. Anyways: Donatello tells me that out of all of you, he's the only one who can speak German. Raphael- who I've been told is the tough guy of the group, so I'm assuming he's the one who spoke- knows, other than Japanese, Spanish. Leonardo is fluent in Portuguese, and Michelangelo doesn't care enough to learn any new languages." There was some slight shuffling as they seemed to relax their distrusting tension. By now she could hear them breathing, which had to say something about how much they were beginning to believe her enough to trust her slightly with their positions. She could, from the noise, determine that two beings were on either side of her, with one directly in front of her. "He told me that Raphael can't stand peanut butter, and that Michelangelo is the one who cooks most of your food. Leonardo loves _Space Heroes_."

"Dudes, she's spot on." A younger voice whispered, so quiet that she could barely hear it. "How would she know something like that without one of us telling her?"

"Shut it, Mikey." The gruff voice from before responded.

Maya turned to speak to her left, where the younger voice had come from. "Hello there, Michelangelo; Donatello tells me you're the baby of the family who says 'dude' a lot." There was an intake of surprised breath.

"He… He really told you that?" Michelangelo asked her directly, and she could hear him moving closer.

"Yes, he did. He talks about you three quite often, and about how excited he is for when you rescue him."

"Shut the hell up!" Raphael snapped, stomping in a puddle of water to catch her attention. "We don't need you mocking us about our brother! Sure, we haven't found him yet, but it takes time! _He's_ the genius one, _he's_ the one who does the tracking, and it's been hard finding clues! But we're trying, so you can stuff your 'assistance' right up your-"

"Raph!" Came a third voice, much calmer than the others. "She's telling the truth- she's trying to help."

A derisive snort. "Yeah, and how do you know that, huh? You're too naïve."

"I can sense no deception from her."

As the two (were they the oldest? What was their birth order, again?) continued their quiet argument, a shifting at her left told her that the youngest was sitting down next to her. He made sure to be noisy enough that she could track his movements.

"You're really telling the truth?" Michelangelo asked. She nodded.

"I am. He means a lot to me after all these months, and I just want to see him get home safely."

"… Thank you." He said simply.

Maya smiled. "Did you want to see the flash drive?" She offered.

"Nah, I'll let Leo take care of setting that up- after Donnie, he's the only one who can work the computer." The turtle replied with an audible smile. "Can you… Can you tell me what happened to him?" He asked hesitantly, sadness lacing his voice.

Maya sat quietly for a few moments. Was this something she should tell them, or should she leave it to the flash drive? Would they want to hear it from a stranger? Did she have any idea how they would react? She could tell from the sudden quiet that the older two were now listening intently as well.

She sucked in a breath and decided that openness was the best way to go.

"A lot, I'm afraid- he was injected with a mutagenic concoction that the science team cooked up in the hopes of finding a perfect cure for Karai. In the weeks that followed, he gradually transformed into a human- at least, as close to a human as is possible."

" _What?_ " That was Raphael, who, after this exclamation, planted a loud fist in the brick tunnel wall.

Maya continued. "Since then, he's constantly being studied by the team and injected with various chemicals to correct any mistakes in his new human form, such as four missing fingers, no nose cartilage or bone, and a missing canine. Today he looks like an almost normal human boy- he, after a few days of constant experimenting, is growing lots of thick hair, his ears are complete, his muscles are adjusting… But he's miserable. He's always in some kind of discomfort, and he misses you and being among you. He's been diagnosed with depression and is now on medications for that, and he's starting to lose hope." She described, every once and a while hearing a gasp or growl. "I… Well, I suppose the most important information is on this flash drive- pictures, videos, files. Here, Leonardo." She held it out in front of her, and moments later it was taken from her hand. "Just… Well, you need to see what he's been through before we make a plan for his rescue. He's scheduled for more testing and injections in four days, so please get back to me in two- my contact information's on the drive. For now he'll be okay, so please take a bit of time to read the information as thoroughly as you can- it'll help in the future."

"Thank you, -?"

"Maya."

"Thank you, Maya. We'll read through this right away and get back to you ASAP. Where is he being held?" She could clearly hear the desperation in his voice- where was his baby brother that he hadn't already looked? What place had he been kept from him in?

"He's half an hour away from here, in Star's Chem Lab, an old building on King Avenue. But that's not where you'll rescue him from- Donatello and I have come up with a plan already, so you'll be told your part in it after you call me." She stood and pulled out her flashlight, turning it on Michelangelo before he could duck away. "Hm… You're just as he described you." She said with a kind smile. He blinked, adjusting to the brightness, before giving a hesitant smile back. "Anyways, I must be getting home so I'm well rested for work tomorrow- actually, I guess it's later this morning. Call me- also, if you're still doubting my claims, some hopefully convincing proof labeled '2-433' is at the bottom of the file."

Raphael scowled at her, unconvinced. She simply smiled at him and began walking away, wondering how long it would take her to get home from there.

"Mikey-!" Leonardo snapped in surprise. Maya stopped short and started turning around to see what the problem was, but she was scooped up into a large pair of arms before she could gasp in alarm.

"Leo, it's late, she's tired, and she needs to get home- I'll be right back, promise." Michelangelo assured his older brother. The blue-masked turtle gnawed on his bottom lip before giving a curt nod.

"Alright, little brother. But stay safe and alert, and be home within the hour- I'll get to setting this up." He gestured to the flash drive he held.

"Will do, Captain!" The younger chirped, deftly shifting the woman to rest on his shell and running in the direction of the nearest manhole.

Maya could only stare in awe at the turtle's intricate shell as he carried her piggyback-style. The patterns were so detailed, worn from years of scrapes and battles. She remembered how similar Donatello's shell had been, back in the days when it was still attached to his body. She wondered if there was a way to revert him back to this form- this miraculous, functional form. But the odds were not in his favor- the shell hadn't absorbed into his human form; it had split up, fallen off partially, and had then been forcibly removed by desperate scientists. He most likely would never get the shell back, even if he did return to turtle form somehow. In fact, with all the corrections and additions to shape him 'correctly', he'd still have a human figure and facial structure as well. The only things that could ever possibly change back were his skin, eyes, legs and arms, and maybe his tail, if he was lucky.

She mourned the loss of his natural form- he would always be misshapen amongst his family.

The teen was surprisingly fast for his size and for the extra weight he carried, and they were soon on the rooftops, chilled by the early morning air.

"Where d'you live?" He asked over his shoulder.

"A few blocks down, on Kent." She answered. He nodded and veered a little to change course, and at her direction, wove through various fire escapes until they were at her apartment window. She slid from his back and grabbed his arm for balance when she found her legs to be a bit shaky. "Thank you, Michelangelo." She said sincerely, slipping into the apartment. He gave a thumbs-up and ran off without another word.

She slept fitfully for three hours, but that didn't stop her from being eager and alert when her alarm woke her up for work.

 **And** **…** **scene! Not quite as intense as I'm sure you were hoping for, but I did my best :)**

 **Did you like this chapter? Please leave a review and tell me its strengths and weaknesses!**

 **Anywho, I must be off! Have a great day, Lovelies!**

 **-Violet**


	3. Chapter 3

Despite the deep joy Mikey felt at finally having a lead on their missing brother, he couldn't help but be simultaneously depressed by the news of what had happened to Donnie during his time in captivity. Experimented on? Changed into a human?

The fact that Donnie was now, apparently, a human boy was an especially daunting thing to think about. Donnie had always been a prodigy, a kindhearted guy with a desire to create things to benefit everyone he could. The only thing holding him back had been the fact that he was a mutant turtle. Now that he was human, what was to stop him from moving on to bigger, better opportunities? Now he could successfully court April if he wanted to- the other three had always been of the opinion that April only denied their brother because they weren't compatible in terms of species. What if he liked being human more than being a turtle? What if he didn't want to change back?

What if he left them?

Mikey shook his head to clear those thoughts away and jumped down the manhole into the sewers he knew by heart. Donnie loved them. Surely he wouldn't leave them.

Still, he gnawed on his lip for the entire time it took to reach the Lair. It wasn't a habit portrayed often, but right now he was really, _really_ nervous.

As soon as he hit the turnstiles, however, a new thought occurred to him: April and Casey needed to be up-to-date on this as much as the Hamatos. The two humans had devoted a majority of their non-school time to aiding in their endless search for the missing turtle in purple. April had cried about it on four separate occasions, and Casey had even refrained from using any of his usual mocking nicknames in reference to Donnie- he'd even offered comfort to the hurting teenagers once. The duo had scoured multiple locations that the turtles couldn't have access to, and April had updated her laptop to have several more features that she used daily to keep an eye out for any news on Donnie or any possible leads. They had worked hard toward the cause, pouring their genuine hearts into it; they deserved to be a part of this just as much as the missing turtle's own family did.

He pulled out his phone and unlocked it- only to pause.

A few months prior, only weeks after his older brother's disappearance, Mikey had changed his phone's wallpaper to his most beloved photo of Donnie. It featured the genius turtle standing on the edge of the pit while Mikey, the photographer, had been sitting below him on the couch. Donnie had his arms in front of him as he gesticulated wildly and his face was full of excitement. At the time, Mikey had taken the picture- without Donnie's knowledge, as he'd been distracted by his excitement- in the hopes of later on showing their older brothers, who were training with Splinter, just how silly Donnie had seemed while he talked at a lightning pace about a break he'd finally gotten in his research regarding retromutagen.

However, when the three had looked over the picture together while Donnie was finally getting some rest after days of working nonstop, they'd found it anything but mocking material. The picture showed a side of Donnie they saw so often but regularly ignored- the Donnie that enjoyed science and experiments and, most of all, helping people, like April's mutated father. His bloodshot and tired eyes were wide and full of genuine joy as he shared the thing he loved with his beloved little brother- they could clearly see the newfound spark of hope in those red orbs as his long, tiring research finally brought forth fruit. His mouth, while open mid-explanation, was pulled into a proud and eager smile. His body language- long legs spread apart for balance as they'd been when he'd literally slid into the room, too excited to run regularly, his arms mid-motion as he spoke as much with his hands as he did his mouth (when he was in such high spirits as this, he used lots of hand motions)- clearly screamed, _Look at what I've finally done! Aren't you proud? Aren't you excited?_ I'm _excited!_

They'd seen a genuine and caring Donnie as he went on and on with his rambling, unaware that his little brother had captured the beautiful moment on camera. This was who Donnie was when he wasn't intentionally putting on a smile for the camera- this was his natural self. And it was a beautiful thing that the three had secretly cherished. They all had a copy of the picture on their phones, and after Donnie had gone missing, Splinter had printed a copy to hang in the dojo- to serve as a reminder that Donnie was so full of life that he was surely still alive and waiting to come home to the family he so truly loved.

A lump formed in Mikey's throat as he looked at his brother, who he missed more than he could express with words. He ran a finger down the screen as a tear slipped from his eyes. _We'll bring you home, Donnie. I promise you._ He thought. Then he dried his eyes and dialed April's number.

After months of back-and-forth early morning calls, April was answering, alert, by ring four.

" _Hello?"_ She asked eagerly. She had been waiting for months for _The Call_ to come- the call saying that they had finally brought her best friend home. Mikey had to smile just a little at the thought that he had the honor of being the caller.

"Hey!" He greeted. "We have a lead, April! An actual, _solid_ lead!" He exclaimed. There was the sound of her jumping out of bed and a small sob escaping her lips.

" _You're serious?"_ April demanded. _"Casey and I'll be there in five minutes!"_ Then she hung up without another word.

Mikey put the phone away and made his way to Donnie's lab, where the only desktop computer was. The laptops had all fallen into disrepair without Donnie there to fix them up, so this was their only option- and they didn't like it. He could tell by the way Raph was subtly rocking on his feet that he wasn't comfortable being in the room that reminded them so much of the brother they'd failed to keep safe.

"April and Casey will be here momentarily." Mikey said as a way of greeting, sitting on the stool beside the desk chair in which Leo sat, setting the computer up.

"'Kay." Leo muttered distractedly as he typed in a password and then began uploading files. "I did a sweep of the flash drive- no bugs or viruses." He informed.

A popup appeared as the first page loaded.

 _Hello, Turtles: I went through the informational timeline and corresponding pictures and paired them together for you so it'll take less time to get through everything. –Maya_

It read. Raph snorted and went back to standing off to the side, shifting uncomfortably. He was getting cagey, they could tell. He was extremely eager to just blast his way to Donnie, consequences be damned. This standing around and reading through information first was clearly irritating him.

"Alright, this is it." Leo said in an exhale, visibly nervous. "We'll wait until the others are here, though." Then he got up to grab Master Splinter.

A few minutes later, the sounds of small running feet reached the two remaining turtles' ears. "Guys! What's the lead?" April shouted as she and Casey sprinted in. They located the turtles easily and while April positioned herself by the computer, Casey went over to talk quietly with Raph.

"We got a flash drive from someone who wants to help us get Donnie back." Mikey said. At her suspicious look, he added, "I'll explain more about that later- just know that she's 99.99% trustworthy at this point. She has knowledge that only Donnie would willingly share, and she said she enclosed proof on the drive as well."

"What's on it?" She asked as she quickly read the short note.

"Well, it's files on what the guys who have Donnie… _did_ … to him for the past few months." Mikey said sadly. She gasped and covered her mouth but said nothing more.

"-and we've got everyone here to take a look." Leo was finishing as he led their master into the lab. Splinter looked exhausted and older than he was- the last few months had been hard on him.

"I see." Splinter replied, nodding for his eldest to get started.

The group all crowded around the monitor as Leo took his seat and clicked on the first of two files. Even Raph was curious, despite his eagerness to just get Donnie already.

The file was a document about fifty pages long, with the title page baring just a scientific overview and some crudely drawn diagrams. April, the only scientifically- minded one of the group, read through the information quickly before nodding at Leo to continue. He scrolled to the second page- a table of contents. Then he went to the third page, where things instantly became interesting- and not in a particularly good way.

This page had a few paragraphs of notes and theories, plus a summary of actions taken. In the right margin was a picture of Donnie. It showed his face and upper plastron- and he looked exactly as he'd always looked. He was standing in front of some sort of sterilized white room with various equipment behind him, and he was _scowling_ at the camera with such blazing hatred as they had never before seen on his face. He was a caring boy- he'd never expressed such direct hate towards anything before. It was unnerving, to say the least.

By the positioning of his shoulders and upper arms, his wrists were most likely tied behind his shell. The caption below the photo read _Month One._

While it was upsetting to see Donatello so clearly angry and unhappy, it was also a kind of relief to see his face in a new picture- even if it was a picture from months ago.

Leo began reading the notes, skipping any entries reporting no changes. "Subject has been measured and diagrammed below. Shows hostility to all personnel and refuses to cooperate with any tests. Must be sedated for all procedures. Subject is in the middle of his sixteenth year and has already reached… oh dear God… _sexual maturity_." Leo looked slightly nauseas as he went through the observations. "Subject is just over six feet and three inches tall- estimated human height at five feet nine inches due to loss of turtle leg proportions.

Day three- Subject has been successfully injected with Chemical Initial after two days of experts calculating proper combinations. Subject was mildly sedated for procedure and has not come to as of yet. No visible changes.

Day four- Subject fully awake, though no changes have been reported yet.

Month One conclusion (results from day thirty): subject has not changed, but tests show that changes are to be expected soon."

"Wait, he didn't change for a whole month?" Casey blurted, possibly to break the contemplative silence.

The turtle in blue sighed and scanned over the data again. "It seems not." He answered with a sad tone in his voice.

"I wonder how they were treating him- he looks _pissed_." April mused, gesturing to photo. "I hope they haven't been abusing him on top of everything else…"

No one offered a reply, and Leo was clearly struggling with scrolling to the next page. Mikey could sympathize- did he _really_ want to see his brother's transformation? Once he saw it, he knew, he would never un-see it.

The eldest finally steeled himself and scrolled to the next page- it only had the scientists' diagrams of Donatello's turtle body and their measurements of his shell, feet, fingers, and other features. He went to the next page.

All eyes were immediately drawn to the picture included in the margin, this one larger as it was a full-body shot. He was standing awkwardly, like it was difficult to maintain balance, and his arms were unrestrained. Behind him was the same backdrop as before.

He had quite clearly changed. His skin was no longer a dark olive green, instead a much lighter version of it. The paleness of his skin emphasized the bright red of his eyes, and when one's attention was drawn to his eyes, one saw the sheen of tears coating them. The rest of his face was fairly relaxed, if not a bit stressed, but the tears didn't match the expression on his face. His beak was less prominent and lips were starting to form, along with a very flat nose with only nostrils showing. On both sides of his head were very nubby ears. Besides those things, the most obvious difference was that his figure had changed- his shoulders were slimmer, his waist was even smaller, and his hips were wider. He had a very feminine figure, and the way he held his arms shyly resting to block parts of his sides spoke volumes of how embarrassing he found this to be.

"He looks like a girl." Casey commented seriously, everyone just nodding numbly.

"There has _got_ to be an explanation for that- they're trying to make him perfectly human, right?" April asked. Mikey nodded a little.

"I think so, yeah."

"Well, human males have wider shoulders than hips- female humans have wide hips and small shoulders. That body shape's an error." She concluded, prompting Leo to read the most understandable of the scientific jargon that took up the rest of the page.

"Day seven- Lightened skin appeared overnight, the first sign that his DNA has reacted to Chemical Initial.

Day ten- Beginnings of nose starting to form, along with very small external ears.

Day eleven- Eyes perpetually full of tears. Corrective injection advised.

Day thirteen- Corrective injections ineffective.

Day twenty- Colleen accidentally injected subject with hormones for the incorrect sex. No effects showing yet, but subject is being carefully monitored.

Day twenty-one- Subject has physically changed in response to female growth hormones- as seen in photograph 3-99. Emotionally unbalanced, very easily upset. Surgery and corrective injections advised.

Day twenty-seven- Female body shape corrected through removal of excess fat in the hips and two injections of male hormones. Eyes still watery and subject still overly emotional.

Day twenty-nine- Chemical N from Chemical Initial has failed to start hair growth. Scalp therapy with Chemical B scheduled.

Month Two conclusion: Subject still without hair. Tests conclude that other changes are to start showing soon."

They could only stare in shock at the page. It was one thing to hear that it had happened, but watching the progression of the transformation was another. It felt wrong to see Donnie looking the way he was. And there was dread in the air, as they all knew it would be getting worse as they went.

"Alright… next page…" Leo muttered before scrolling.

This picture took up half the page, its contents completely shocking to the family.

Donatello was fully shown once again, but he looked almost completely different- he looked like something straight out of the X-Files.

He stood in front of a height chart, his head just brushing the six-foot mark, and he was just barely standing, they could tell. His skin was a very light green and his eyes were teary and, alarmingly, brown. The ears had grown a little, though his nose was still flat. His mouth was now very human in appearance and pulled into a slightly open frown to reveal the gap in his teeth. A thin coating of brown hair was beginning to grow from his scalp, and two dots on his brow signified tiny eyebrows growing.

"Oh my-! He has twelve fingers and toes!" April exclaimed, pointing to the extra digits.

"You're right, he does." Casey muttered as he peered closely. He turned to Raph, but noticed the entire Hamato family was staring in repulsion at something else in the image. "What? What's wrong?"

Mikey was the only one able to speak through the incredible anger and shock he felt.

"His plastron…" He whispered. The two humans did a double take and leaned in closer to getting a better look.

"Oh dear Lord…" April murmured in horror. They had all noticed right away that something was off about his appearance- more so than the obvious changes. He was wearing clothing in this picture, unlike the previous ones- a simple baggy sleeveless gown and some loose hospital pants underneath. From the way he leaned forward a little, they could see a little bit of his chest- and it was bare of any distention, having only bandages covering it underneath the gown. His plastron was gone. "Is his shell still there?" She asked hesitantly, not quite able to tell.

"Yes." Leo said frigidly. "He wouldn't be standing like that if it wasn't." She couldn't understand how he could tell, but just accepted that it was something only a turtle would really be able to distinguish.

"Those bastards removed it." Raph spat, face so disgusted and infuriated that it was scary. "There wouldn't be bandages if it'd just absorbed into him." He had very good deductive reasoning sometimes.

"I fear you are correct, Raphael." Splinter added sadly, the first thing he'd said since they'd begun.

It was absolutely horrific and unreal to see that they'd physically removed something that made Donnie a turtle. It was one thing to change his coloring and add fingers and toes, but a whole other thing to actually take a turtle characteristic off of him.

Leo gulped down the explicit language he was tempted to use and read falteringly,

"Day three- Subject responding to Chemical B treatments on scalp and eyebrows. No other body or facial hair growing, however. Skin on legs and arms smooth and almost scaly.

Day four- Subject successfully underwent surgery to remove plastron. Antibiotics started.

Day ten- Chemical K injections advised for eye pigment correction.

Day fourteen- Chemical K successful.

Day nineteen- Green skin pigmentation has stopped receding- Chemical J suggested for removal.

Day twenty-five- Chemical J successfully removed green skin pigmentation.

Month Three conclusion: Subject needs further pigment treatment in right eye."

Casey shuddered as the list went on, and Leo had to pause several times to process the information he was reading.

"They… even his _eye color_?" Mikey asked breathlessly. "What was wrong with it?" He was indignant on behalf of his absent brother.

April got slightly teary-eyed. "Nothing, Mikey. They just don't like how unique red eyes are." She said with anger in her voice.

Raph clenched his fists and released a large breath. "I'm going to effing _kill_ them!" He raged, fists shaking. The others nodded in agreement- even Master Splinter, who was overwhelmed with grief for his poor, unfortunate child. No one deserved any of this- least of all sweet Donatello.

Leo stood from the chair and stalked to Donnie's bed, where he grabbed a pillow and shoved it onto his face. He screamed into it, voice muffled.

The others shared a look before Casey stepped in and scrolled to the next page.

The picture provided was from the waist up. It showed a watery-eyed Donnie staring at the camera, face twisted slightly into an expression that looked like he was trying not to cry, or on the very brink of sobbing. That alone was heartbreaking enough. He looked so little and helpless, with his thinner face, scrawny shoulders and big eyes.

But what was extremely concerning was the fact that his skin was not only white, but _pale_ white. His hair, grown slightly longer, was white at the roots. His eyes were a disturbing shade of pink.

"Is that…?"

"Albinism." April confirmed solemnly.

His ears were now fully grown, but the right one was completely missing the earlobe. His nose remained flat, and the hand he had clutching the fabric of his gown only had five fingers- it was shaped like a normal human's hand, as well, but with stitches marring the outside of it from where a sixth had been surgically removed.

Casey found the progress updates began to read while Leo came to stand behind him, jittery and clearly emotionally rattled.

"Day two- Chemical J treatments caused unexpected problems in form of albinism. Subject's eyesight has decreased dramatically and skin is more sensitive to UV rays. Ears are fully developed but require transplanted lobe.

Day four- Excess fingers and toes successfully removed. Pigment Restoration serum in progress.

Day seven- Subject injected with Chemical Z.

Day eight- Subject is in considerable pain, though when asked where the pain came from, he could not pinpoint.

Day nine- Mitchell investigated the watery film over subject's eyes, concluded that the phenomenon has no definite origin and is simply an effect of experimentation that cannot be reversed without considerable damage done.

Day twenty- No reaction to Chemical Z. Calculating effective corrections.

Day twenty-one- Injection of new Chemical Z.

Month Four conclusion: Subject seems to be responding to new Chemical Z. Sensitivity to light has decreased significantly."

"Are they trying to cure albinism?" April asked incredulously. "That's not possible."

"Don't say impossible, Red." Casey teased without enthusiasm, gesturing to the mutants surrounding them.

"I can't believe they're actually… doing it." Mikey whispered in disbelief. "I mean, you see him, right? He _looks_ like a human. They're _actually_ turning him into one." They'd never imagined something like that could be possible. But the proof was right in front of them- and it was painful. Mikey now regretting thinking that Donnie would like being human more than being a turtle- he clearly was in considerable pain. It just didn't seem worth it.

Casey turned to Leo and raised a brow in question, but the eldest of the four shook his head, face pale. Casey nodded understandingly and turned back to the monitor, taking up Leo's previous job once more.

"Alright, there's no point in wasting time- let's get through this." He said, scrolling to the next page.

Donnie looked less sickly in terms of coloring, at least. His skin was a light tan and his eyes were brown- not an ideal color, but at least they weren't lacking pigment.

However, he looked even more miserable than the previous month's photo- he had tears on his cheeks and he was biting his lip to keep cries at bay. His ears were now complete, with a different-colored earlobe attached to the right ear. His nose was still flat, and his eyes were still glazed with tears. His hair had grown to be chin-length and was curly and thick, a dark brown with a horizontal white stripe going through it from that temporary time when it had grown in without pigment. He looked so much more like a human- his face was now completely shaped like a human's and his torso was uncovered to show regular skin with tons of stitches.

But his cheeks were tinted red, like he had a fever, and his eyes were slightly unfocused.

"His shell… No…" Raph muttered in despair, too shocked to be angry for a moment. They could see why- the shell that was partially visible over his shoulder was cracked and discolored, chipping in places and looking overall unhealthy.

"It's rotting." April said. "That's why he has a fever. They're going to rot it until it falls off."

Splinter made a guttural disgusted sound and looked away, ears flat against his skull. "These people are monsters." He growled.

Casey nodded in agreement and stared at what Donatello had become. He'd never been the _closest_ with the turtle, sure- after all, Donnie had clearly shown an interest in _his_ Red- but underneath it all, there was a mutual respect that he couldn't deny. He admired the turtle's caring nature and genius intellect, and even if he wasn't Donnie's biggest fan, he was still enraged at the treatment the turtle had received- that of a lab rat, a test subject and nothing more. He'd clearly been through hell. Donnie deserved so much better than that.

He was disheartened to see that with each picture, the turtle became less like his usual self- and not in the physical sense. At the beginning, he was angry and defiant, proud student of Hamato Yoshi and trained warrior who wouldn't give in. Casey had the pain of watching, with each picture, that spark of spirit leaving his eyes. He became less angry and more lethargic before going to another end of the spectrum and looking downright pathetic and even fearful. He looked broken, and that was heartbreaking. Casey almost feared looking further- he didn't want to see how much farther Donnie's spirit had fallen.

Still, he steeled himself and began reading the notes.

"Day one- Subject showing response to Chemical Z. Adding higher mutagen ratio.

Day four- Subject's skin color has been stabilized. Chemical Z successful.

Day seven- Suitable match for earlobe transplant found. Arranging surgery.

Day nine- Earlobe successfully transplanted.

Day twelve- Chemical R injected to grow in missing canine.

Day fourteen- Chemical R successful.

Day seventeen- Subject injected with Chemical K to correct return of red pigmentation in right eye.

Day eighteen- Chemical Q injected to start the rotting process.

Day nineteen- Shell beginning to rot and fall off.

Day twenty-seven- Shell mostly gone. Emergency surgery to remove remaining pieces was successful.

Month Five conclusion: Subject beginning to maintain changes more consistently."

"They… his shell's gone, too?" Leo whimpered, a strange sound coming from him. "And his tooth? How could they…?" Splinter placed a hand on the turtle's shoulder and gazed understandingly into his blue eyes.

"My son, don't despair. I am sure your brother will be fine." He reassured, though his eyes were suspiciously wet. Leo nodded and bit his lip.

Donnie was Leo's little brother- Leo had taken care of him since they'd been old enough to crawl. When Donnie was hurt, Leo kissed it better or applied a bandage. When Donnie had a nightmare, it was Leo's bed he stumbled to at four in the morning. When Donnie was scared, it was Leo's shoulder he buried his face in. When Donnie was feeling unloved or underappreciated, Leo was always the first to pull him into a hug, regardless of how awkward the height difference became. No matter what, Leo had prided himself on helping his brothers grow into the people they'd become- and the fact that he'd kept them safe so they _could_ become who they were meant to be. And then Donnie had been taken because they had all been too busy to accompany him to the junkyard. Leo had never quite forgiven himself for letting Donnie leave the Lair by himself, even though logically it made no sense- Donnie had gone topside alone several times before. He still felt guilty, though. As the oldest, he needed to take responsibility.

They had taken away all physical characteristics of Donatello, and that made him angrier than he'd ever been in his entire life. Donnie was especially known for his towering stature due to his long legs, the unique roundness of his head, the olive of his skin, the trademark gap between his teeth that made his smiles so much more endearing, and the brilliant bloody red of his eyes that didn't match up with any of his brothers' light-colored irises. And these _monsters_ had taken all of that away.

"Oh, Donnie…" He whispered sadly, staring at the image of his traumatized baby brother. He wished Donnie were there so he could pull him into a hug and never let him go.

He didn't notice right away that Casey had scrolled down again, but his eyes were drawn to new picture instantly.

Donnie looked similar to before, with the same face shape, skin color, and the like. His eyes were still very watery and while the left one was brown, the right one was its usual red color. His nose was now that of a normal human's, distended but with a healing incision across the bridge of it. His hair was down to his neck, though there was a shaven patch on the left side with stitches. His eyes, aside from being mismatched, were wide and haunted, and his expression was one of numb shock. His mouth was slightly open to reveal the canine filling the gap in his teeth.

"He looks so… traumatized." Mikey observed with teary eyes. "What happened to him?"

"Let's look," Casey replied, moving to the updates. "Day three- cartilage inserted into nose. Operation successful.

Day seven- Subject having severe bouts of temporary confusion and right side of body is shaky. Under surveillance.

Early morning of day eight- Subject collapsed and lost ability to speak clearly, eyesight in right eye failing. Determined to be a stroke.

Day eight- Subject diagnosed with blood clot in left side of brain and rushed into surgery. Operation lasted almost nine hours, but problem was fixed. We did not have the catheter to break the clot down, and as such were required to make an incision and operate. Subject awoke briefly during the procedure and panicked before being put under once more. Side note: supply of Chemical G cut off, as it is a powerful coagulant and seems to have caused the clot.

Day nine- No signs of infection, but subject still having trouble speaking clearly and staying awake more than an hour at a time. Under surveillance.

Day thirteen- Subject, with speech and physical therapy, is properly functional again. Still traumatized from the surgery, however, as it appears he remembers waking up during it. Shows an aversion to all remotely sharp objects that is concerning.

Month Six conclusion: Subject fully recovered from surgery."

"He woke up during _surgery on his brain_?" Raph cried, eyes wide as plates. "He had a _stroke_? He's sixteen!" He began pacing like a caged tiger, grabbing a random gadget and throwing it. Donnie was too innocent for something so horrible to happen to him!

Despite their personalities being almost opposites, Donnie and Raph had a special connection that came with being the middle children. They understood each other's struggles of not getting the benefits of being the oldest or youngest, and that was something they bonded over. They knew each other very well. Donnie balanced Raph out- the temper and the rationality. Even though Raph teased his younger brother constantly, he genuinely cared about him. Seeing him so damaged was infuriating. He wanted to fucking _kill_ the assholes who did such a despicable thing to his brother.

And hearing that Donnie had had a stroke, collapsed, had surgery and woken up during it, and had then been fearful of blades afterwards was very distressing. He wanted to get out there and fucking _act_.

Still, he couldn't do it alone, and he really wanted to see what those bastards did so that he could punish them accordingly. To calm himself down when the others weren't looking, he grabbed Donnie's favorite blanket and held it close. It had been Donnie's since very early childhood- and it was red, faded with time and constant use. Donnie had looked up to Raph when they were little- had practically seen him as a superhero. So when Splinter had found the fabric to make them each a blanket to call their own, Donnie had asked for his to be red, like his big brother's mask. Raph was still touched to this day. He buried his face in its soft material and breathed in the scent of _Donnie_ \- coffee, oil, metal, and cinnamon. He inhaled and exhaled largely, letting the rage die down enough to let him get through this. He'd save the anger for later.

Mikey smiled sadly at him when he returned to the computer desk and offered a reassuring look. He understood what he was going through.

"He's only been gone for eight months, right? So we're almost done." Casey said before scrolling down again.

This Donnie was virtually the same, except he wore a white beanie to cover the shaved patch on his head. The rest of his hair was past his shoulders. His hair was past his shoulders.

However, when Casey scrolled just slightly down to better view the page, there was a second picture revealed just under the first.

The Donnie shown there was pale except for his fiery red cheeks, and his eyes were feverish. Tears coated his cheeks, and he looked extremely lethargic. He was standing- obviously shakily- in front of the height chart again, this time clocking in at five-foot-seven.

"Day one- Subject showing signs of depression, now on antidepressants. Given Chemical T to adjust muscles to shorter height.

Day four- Subject has lost ten pounds in the span of three days, despite same meal regimen. On IV fluids.

Day five- Subject is expressing pain in legs, and muscles are not responding to Chemical T.

Day six- Subject is not waking up or responding to outside stimuli. Has lost another fourteen pounds and is extremely emaciated.

Day seven- Cause of earlier symptoms found to be a bad reaction to Chemical T. Cut off Chemical T- leg muscles surgically shortened instead. Subject running high fever.

Day eight- Calliope has ordered that all pain medications and antibiotics be cut off- the former to test how long the adjustment pains take to go away, the latter to allow fever and bacteria to flush Chemical T from system.

Day nine- Subject's blood is now free of Chemical T, but immune system has been weakened as a result of the ordeal. Subject still has fever.

Day fourteen- Subject still in excruciating pain. Fever still too high.

Day seventeen- Pain subsiding slowly. Fever under control.

Day twenty-five- Pain virtually gone, but physical therapy set back several weeks. Leg muscles too short, causing subject to walk on toes.

Month Seven conclusion: Subject experiences discomfort more often after the testing on pain, and is more susceptible to illnesses."

Couldn't Donnie catch a break? Mikey sagged in sadness at the miserable look on Donnie's face. He was clearly in pain. He hated seeing his beloved older brother like that.

Instead of the group talking about it, they all decided to stay silent and get the last page out of the way.

Donnie was shown in a full-body shot, standing on his toes. His appearance as virtually the same, but he was skinnier and a bit paler, and his expression was less pained. Almost all of his exposed skin was covered in a variety of scars.

Below it was the 'proof' Maya had spoken of, according to the label. It showed a selfie Maya had taken with Donnie, the turtle- _boy, he's not a turtle anymore -_ laying down under a blanket. He was smiling genuinely and giving a thumbs-up, his glassy eyes tired. It was easy to see that he trusted and liked her.

"There isn't any data for this month yet," Casey commented. His head was spinning as he gazed at what Donnie currently looked like. He could actually pass as human with how he now looked.

Raph back up and began pacing again. "Alright, so what's the plan?" He demanded of Leo almost immediately.

Leo shook his head. "We'll call Maya and set up a plan to rescue him." He decided. Raph sizzled.

"Hell no! I'm not waiting another _day_! We need to save our brother!" He exclaimed, body language aggressive.

"Raph, it's the smartest thing-" April started, but he cut her off.

"No, isn't it smarter to get to him before they can hurt him any more? Or have you already forgotten what he's gone through on a daily basis?" He snapped. It was mostly aimed at Leo. "I can't just sit around and wait, okay?" He said more calmly, trying to be more convincing.

Leo's expression softened. "I understand, Raph. Really, I do. I want to go and get him right now. But we can't just rush in." He explained carefully.

Raph growled and whipped around to pace more intensely. "I just…" He couldn't get the words out in his tenseness. "I just… I _can't_ sit around, Leo!" He exclaimed, begging his older brother to understand.

Thankfully, Leo could be really smart when he wanted to be, and he saw Raph's internal struggle for what it was- frustration at not being able to help someone he loved.

"Raph… If we rush in, I'm afraid I'll lose _another_ brother. I'm supposed to protect you guys." Leo said, head hanging.

Raph stepped forward and put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Bro, you won't. I promise." He said genuinely. "I know you're afraid, Fearless. But I just need to see Donnie to be sure he's okay. I can't take the word of a stranger- I need to see it. Can't we just sneak in and check on him? I promise that I won't rush in and try to grab him. We go in, look at him, then leave and start planning his rescue. Please, Leo. I can't wait another day to see him again." He pleaded. He normally didn't show this side of himself or accept compromise, but he, too, could be smart when he wanted to be, and this situation called for a gentler approach.

It worked.

Leo looked hesitant, but at the nod of consent Splinter gave him, he released the breath he'd been holding and nodded. "A-alright. Let's go see our brother."

 **Bruh. 6k words. That's, like, a record for me for one chapter.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed! I love ya'll in a platonic author/reader kind of way!**

 **Do you like? Also, sorry if the timeline doesn't quite match up with accounts from the other chapters- tried to be as accurate and consistent as I could, but it's harder than it looks and it's getting late :P**

 **Was everyone in-character? Man, the POV on this one got a bit weird; it was supposed to be third person limited with Mikey, but then it got to third person omniscient, dipping into everyone's heads. Oh well, it's not as choppy as changing POV every other paragraph, at least.**

 **Please drop me a review with your thoughts/opinions! I'd love to hear them!**

 **Goodnight, Lovelies!**


	4. Chapter 4

***looks at crappy grammar from last chapter* Oh, I am SO sorry about that! I was half asleep when I wrote that, so while the plot is all good, the grammar unfortunately suffered for it. :/ I'm kinda tired now, but less so than last time!**

 **Apologies for the short chapter. I tried to keep it simple and to-the-point so I could advance the plot just a wee bit quicker.**

They spent a majority of the day planning the quickest way into the laboratory, with April taking on the role of the hacker and supplier of gadgets. She wasn't as adept at it as Donnie was, but she was still very skilled. She managed to access the security system from the Shellraiser, which was parked a few blocks away in an alley, and was in charge of planting little blips from time to time to allow the turtles undetected entrance. Casey would stay behind as well, as he was in charge of watching her back and manning the vehicle's many stations while the brothers were gone.

At seven o'clock that evening, the turtles slipped in through a window on the top floor, finding themselves in a dark chemistry lab full of high-tech equipment and a plethora of beakers of glowing substances.

"This must be where they make their chemicals for Donnie," Leo observed solemnly, leading the other two through the maze of tables and machines. So far they'd encountered no one, something they found both fortunate and unnerving. Raph kept one hand on his sai at all times, muscles pulled taut with apprehension. Mikey trailed behind his older brothers, eyes wide and scanning over everything with a mixture of curiosity and horror. He didn't speak, but his expression spoke volumes.

" _Leo?"_ April's muffled voice came through his earpiece, making him jump slightly. Sighing, Leo put a finger to the device, holding down a button.

"Yes?" He whispered.

" _The highest concentration of the security measures are around an old lounge on the second floor. The doors are locked tight, there are no windows, and a laser grid guards the air vents. I think that's your best bet for finding him."_ She explained. Leo quickly shared this information with the other two before thanking April and letting the button go.

The hallways on the fourth floor were as quiet and dark as the lab had been, making it simple for them to stealthily make their way to the stairwell. There was a security camera in there, but it was at an angle they could simply go underneath, undetected.

The second floor was where things got tricky. There were four people, dressed in lab coats over sweats, sitting lazily on two couches at the end of the hallway, right outside of a door equipped with an electronic lock. They were sipping at coffee and holding quiet and casual conversations, unaware of the audience they'd gained. Leo stopped short just around the corner and listened in for any information he could glean, his brothers crouched low behind him and keeping an eye out for any other scientists.

"We're running on fumes, guys," A redheaded woman was saying between bites of a muffin. Even from this distance, Leo could easily see the dark splotches under her eyes and the lethargic way she moved. "There's only so much coffee can do."

The man sitting beside her nodded in agreement. "Our hours are fucking ridiculous. I wish we hadn't signed up for this." He groaned. "JC is getting mad that I'm never home for dinner, but I don't know what to tell her. I think she's starting to wonder if I'm cheating on her or something."

Another man patted his shoulder firmly. "I hear ya, man. But it'll be over soon."

A prim-looking woman raised an eyebrow at him. "Mitchell!" She scolded. He rolled his eyes.

"What? Why aren't they allowed to know?" He asked. The woman scowled at him but didn't reply, so he continued his explanation to the other two, who looked just as interested as Leo felt. "Got a message from the Big Guy this morning- we got two weeks 'til presentation. After that, we're free for a month."

The redhead almost spilled her coffee. "You're serious? I thought we had another two months 'til presentation!" She sounded both relieved and anxious. "I'm not sure the kid's ready! We still haven't tested muscle memory or strategic thinking!" She pulled a notepad from her coat's pocket and flipped through the pages madly. "Not to mention his vision needs to be tested! You _know_ what he said about inadequate results!"

Mitchell reached over and took the pad from her. "We'll figure it out, okay? Breathe, Collie." She nodded and ran her hand through her hair.

"I've already scheduled all of the tests we still need to do." The prim woman spoke up, face emotionless. "Starting with strategic thinking." She began explaining ways they could do this while the turtles turned to each other with worried looks. They were running out of time! Donnie was going to be presented- presumably to the Shredder himself- in two weeks!

"What about Mommy in there?" The other man asked, jerking a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the door.

"Her shift's almost over for the night." The woman answered, looking thoughtful. "However, I doubt we'll get any conclusive results if we run the tests tonight- we've already done plenty today, and he'll be too tired to perform adequately. I suppose we'll have to postpone." Mitchell snorted.

"And whose fault was that, Calliope? _You_ were the one who just _had_ to get the spinal fluid sample! And now look where that's got us- now we have to waste our time waiting for him to get better!" The other man laughed a little.

"Wow, Miss Punctual delayed our work getting completed- who'da thunk it?" He teased lightly. Calliope didn't dignify them with a response, instead sipping daintily at her beverage and scrutinizing a legal pad resting on her lap.

Leo had heard enough, and so turned to the other two, who were eyeing him eagerly. He told them through a series of hand signals to follow him into the nearby air duct, Mikey going last and noiselessly pulling the grate back into place behind them. They crawled through the cramped space for several minutes, relying mostly on a memorized map to get them to the correct place, their bodies contorted uncomfortably to avoid their shells loudly bumping into the metal walls.

After taking a sharp right turn, Leo stopped short, nearly running face-first into the laser grid. Releasing a sigh of relief, he moved to sit on his knees awkwardly, craning his neck to peer around in the small room beyond the grate. The others followed suit, almost climbing over each other to get a better look.

The first thing they saw was the sheer emptiness of the enclosure- the only furniture being a bed and a small table and chair. The walls were stark white with no decorations to make it homey, and the floors were cheap linoleum that looked like they needed a good mopping. The lights were yellow fluorescents that flickered maddeningly.

"This has to be it," Leo whispered to Raph and Mikey. Raph growled a little and clenched his fist, while Mikey simply continued staring into the room below. "But where is he?"

The question was answered a few moments later when a door on the far wall swung open and two figures came out- an older woman supporting a teenaged boy. Leo's breath was stolen directly from his lungs as he finally looked upon his missing brother- it was _Donnie!_

He was leaning rather heavily on Maya, arm around her shoulders, and they were all somewhat stunned to realize that he stood almost two inches shorter than her. Donnie, the tallest of them, was now by far the shortest. His lengthy hair was soaking wet, indicating he'd just had a shower. When Maya moved him to sit on his bed, he yelped and jerked away from her.

"Dammit, I knew we couldn't trust her!" Raph silently exclaimed, attempting to lurch forward but stopped by two pairs of arms holding him in place.

"I don't think _she_ hurt him, Raph." Mikey commented, gesturing to the scene before them. Maya was crouched down to Donnie's level, gently probing his back until he whimpered in pain and flinched back. Then she retracted her hand with a reassuring smile.

"Sorry, Baby. Does it still hurt?" She asked softly, making the turtles have to strain to hear her. Raph relaxed just a bit, no longer an active risk.

The boy- their _brother_ \- bit his lip and nodded, crouching oddly to apparently alleviate the pain in his back. "Y-yeah." He replied. Oh, that _voice!_ It had been so long since they'd heard their brother's sweet voice! It was quieter than they remembered, and the tone was slightly off, but it was unmistakably _Donatello_.

Maya sighed and put a hand under the base of his skull, then slowly lowered him until he was lying on his side. He curled up slightly before exhaling and staying still. "Better?"

"Mm-hmm." He hummed. His eyelids were drooping slightly, but his eyes were still fairly alert as he gazed up at her. "'dju give it to them?" He asked, quieter than before.

"Sure did." Maya confirmed. Donnie's face morphed into a huge smile and a spark seemed to reignite behind his mismatched eyes.

"Soon?"

"Soon."

Donnie coughed and winced, but the smile was still there. Maya placed a hand on his face and stroked his cheek lovingly. Then she stood, retrieving a brush from the bathroom, and sat behind him, Donnie staying mostly motionless. She then began running the bristles through his hair, which was down to his middle spine in length, and hummed a song to him as she worked. He leaned into the touch with a content look on his face that made Leo's heart warm a little. It was nice seeing him somewhat happy.

It was nice seeing him, _period_.

After Maya had finished with the teen's hair, she placed a kiss on his forehead and bid him goodnight just as his teary eyes slipped shut. Before leaving, she pulled a thin blanket over his tiny body and tucked it in around him, looking hesitant to leave. She was finally out the door almost five minutes later.

The three turtles gazed upon their fourth for what seemed like hours, but was, in reality, about ten minutes. Leo was intently staring at his second-youngest brother, studying his fair face, his long, striped hair, and his unbearably skinny body. He watched the way his chest moved slowly up and down in repose. He restrained the desire to blast his way in there and scoop the boy into his arms, never to let him go.

"He's so… twiggy." Mikey whispered sadly, eyes fixed on the bony arm sticking out from the blanket. "I can see all of his bones. April and Casey don't look like _that_. I don't understand." His voice was full of childlike confusion that broke Leo's heart. Even when one of them got sick for days on end- usually Mikey or Donnie- and couldn't keep any food down, none of them had ever reached that degree of emaciation. Even then, their ribcages weren't visible through their plastrons and carapaces, meaning that even when they got fairly thin, it wasn't very obvious. And the only humans they'd really seen up close had been April, Casey, and Kirby- all of which were fed regularly and had healthy amounts of fatty tissue and muscle on their frames. Donnie just looked… delicate; sickly; breakable.

"The flash drive said, remember?" Raph reminded, not bothering to hide his disgust. "Those 'medicines' made him lose a whole lot of weight."

"Yeah…"

Leo made to chip in with words of reassurance, but was cut off when April informed him that the Foot was about to send its nightly patrol into the ventilation system as they apparently did every night to make sure Donnie didn't escape. It took lots of prodding and arguing to get Raph to leave Donnie as he was, and Mikey kept sending glances behind him as they went, eyes watery.

Before Donnie was out of sight, however, Leo quickly returned to the grate and stared down at his little brother.

"We'll get you home, Donnie. I promise we will. Love you." Then he, Raphael and Michelangelo slipped from the building, riding home with determination firmly in their hearts.

 **Good? Meh? Terrible? Lemme know in a review!**

 **Have a great day, Lovelies!**

 **-Violet**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm still here! Sorry for the wait!**

When her entry was completely uninterrupted by either Mitchell, with a plate of nutrient-infused glop to feed Donatello, or Calliope, with orders to examine her charge for any effects of one of their hellish tests, Maya was instantly suspicious. She'd worked there, in charge of the teen boy's care, for almost a year, and not once had she been able to wake Donatello up in the morning without being handed a bottle of medications and a small breakfast plate first. Her gut instincts, thought to have been dulled with age, were astir and telling her something was wrong so plainly that it was as if she had seen a neon sign announcing 'SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG'. But what was the cause of such wrongness? Where was Mitchell? Where was Calliope? If both of them were unable to make it, surely they would send Colleen or Justin in their place- they wouldn't risk their results being tampered with due to one breach in schedule not caused by medical issues in the test subject himself. The Shredder had made it perfectly clear what would happen to them if the results weren't accurate and desirable. Only the best when it came to his precious Karai, after all.

Maya remained cautious as she keyed in her security code and the door slid open to admit her. Everything seemed to be in natural order… Except… She gasped. "Donatello!" She rushed to the boy's side and crouched down to his level. He was curled up in the corner, rocking back and forth, long hair covering most of his face and sobs escaping him. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" She asked gently, carefully placing her hands on his shoulders and turning him to face her. It had been a while since she'd last seen him like this, and that was when… Her eyes widened in horror as she looked down on his tearful, painfully pale face. His eyes were haunted and, most glaringly, his right eye was bloodshot, more watery than usual, and a dark brown in color. Tiny amounts of blood escaped in the tears from that eye, leaving red rivulets down half of his face, as if the red pigment itself was melting from his irises. "Oh, honey!" She pulled him into her arms when his face scrunched up and he began crying harder. "You're okay… It's alright now… no more needles…" He didn't seem convinced, but he made no verbal response, so she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Maya was absolutely furious with Calliope. She'd specifically told Maya that 'Subject One' was scheduled for his eye injections in four days- and then she'd gone and done them in two when Maya wasn't there to provide comfort for the traumatized boy. Who knew how long he'd been there, sitting in the desolate, chilly corner, with nobody to hold him close and make his anxiety and PTSD leave him alone, at least for a minute? Maya was also angry at herself for not getting him out of there in time- now his eyesight was probably damaged even more than before, which, when added to the many other damaging injections he'd had in that eye, meant that he probably very well couldn't see much out of the eye anymore. They'd gone too far. Wasn't that Einstein's definition of insanity? Repeating the same process over and over again and expecting different results? It hurt Maya to think of Calliope as insane, but as she looked into those glassy brown eyes, settled in that childish face that held a haunted kind of innocence, she knew, deep down, that it was at least somewhat accurate. How anyone could hurt such a sweet creature was absolutely beyond her.

"There, there…. You're safe now, I promise." She whispered as she rocked him. He let out a painful cry and clutched at her scrubs even harder, burying his face in her chest and just sobbing. He was so small… So fragile. Her heart shattered into a million little pieces as she held his shuddering little body in her embrace, rubbing his scarred, uneven back gently as he released all of his fear, anxiety, confusion and pain in one continued noise full of sorrow and terror. "Oh, honey…" She pulled him into her lap and encircled him in her arms, using one hand to hold his head on her shoulder. "You'll be okay, I promise." She lowered her voice. "They're coming soon." If he'd heard her, he didn't respond in any way other than continued crying. He was just too traumatized to fully comprehend anything other than what had already happened to him, and she knew from his other episodes that the memories of the horrid procedure were replaying in his mind on a constant loop. They never anesthetized him for such a procedure- they numbed and paralyzed the eye before injecting the burning, almost acidic chemical directly into his eyeball. She also knew from past experiences that he was in a lot of pain right now- the chemical was mutagen-based, and its presence in one of the most sensitive parts of his body caused lasting sharp pain for hours afterwards. Thankfully, even in this state, he was smart enough not to rub at his burning eye no matter how tempted he was to do so. Rubbing at it only made it worse, and sometimes made the painful areas spread to the skin around his eyes.

Seeing anyone, let alone such a sweet, caring young boy, in this much pain was an agony all of its own to Maya. Here was a boy who had lived, laughed, loved, cried, won, lost, tried, and forgiven. He was young, and he had so much left of life to enjoy and use to his advantage- he was smart and kind, and he could do anything if he put his mind to it. And all that potential was being wasted, distorted, ruined. How had she let this continue for this long? Why hadn't she tried to talk Calliope out of this much sooner? She had failed as Donatello's caretaker, and she had failed as a mother as well. This had gone on long enough.

"Sweetheart, let's get going now." Maya said decisively, putting his arm around her shoulders and lifting until he was standing on shaky legs. She tried to release him, but his knees buckled and he almost collapsed in a heap again, so she dove and scooped him up in her arms- he was tiny enough that she could carry his weight with ease. She carried him to his bed and gently laid him on it. The boy was totally limp and simply stayed as she put him, eyes wide, face pale, breathing erratic. She hated seeing him like this. "Donatello, dear, everything will be okay." She whispered. He made a choking sound and started crying harder, not saying anything. He finally moved, though it was to roll painfully onto his side- he hissed in pain when the movement pulled at the sensitive parts of his still-healing back- and curl up in the fetal position, unresponsive to all of her attempts at comfort. He didn't even seem lucid, she noted, and wondered if maybe he was falling even sicker. Worried, she ran her fingers through his hair in a soothing way, but the sobs didn't diminish and he didn't lean into her touch as he usually did. This episode was worse than the last one he'd had, although it was nowhere near as bad as the very first one had been, when he was injected for the very first time with the chemicals to 'fix' his eye color.

Half an hour later, the boy had cried himself to sleep, face beet red and eyes swollen, tears still coating his cheeks. She delicately took a napkin and wiped the blood, tears, and snot from his face, lamenting the fact that he probably needed to shower, get some more fluids, and get in some morning exercises- things that would have to wait until later, when he woke up from his mercifully peaceful sleep. After covering him with the softest blanket she could find, Maya pressed a trembling kiss to his forehead and dimmed the lights, her gait turning into a determined march as she left the room, one purpose in mind.

Calliope was where she always spent her mornings- the laboratory, alone except for her usual mug of cold coffee. The slight woman was carefully scraping at some sort of skin sample with a precision blade, and she didn't bother to acknowledge the older woman when she entered. The scientists' eyes were bloodshot and surrounded by purple bags, and her hair was a frizzy mess, indicating she hadn't slept in over two days. Maya stalked over and swiftly plucked the sample from Calliope's hands.

"What the fuck, _Maya_?" Calliope snapped, glaring at Maya venomously. "Don't you fucking _dare_ mess with my samples!" It mostly took a lot to get Calliope riled up to this level, but when it came to Maya, it took a lot less provocation to get her yelling and cursing. The woman grabbed for the plastic dish, but Maya expertly kept it away.

"Calliope, I want answers, and I want them _now_." She said sternly. "Why would you inject that boy earlier than planned? Have you seen him? He's traumatized!" Calliope snorted and crossed her arms, pausing in her efforts of retrieval to give Maya a good dosage of scathing verbal abuse.

"Do I look like I fucking care?" Calliope asked evenly. Maya was revolted, and made no effort to hide it.

"Callie, wh-"

" _Don't_ call me that." Calliope interrupted before resuming her cold, calculating persona. "And I bumped up the date because the Shredder kindly informed us that our presentation date was bumped up to twelve days from now."

Maya's stomach dropped. "I thought there was more time!"

"Yeah, I did too." While it sounded like a rare agreement between Calliope and Maya, the older woman wasn't fooled. Calliope would take any form of common ground between them and turn it into a battleground. "Besides, what's the point of waiting so long? Let's get this all over with and get rid of the fucking crybaby." And there it was. The counter-provocation Calliope always spewed when Maya was trying to talk to her. Maya tried to resist the temptation of retorting, but her overwhelming horror and the realization that the woman before her wasn't the sweet child she remembered, but, in fact, a monster, was enough to loosen her tongue.

"I-I…" Maya whispered, disgust and horror dripping from her tone, "I know why Andrew left you, now. I know why he hates Seth living with you. You're a cruel, manipulative sociopath!" Calliope blinked in surprise and momentary hurt before covering it up with hatred.

"That's none of your fucking _business_ , _Maya_." She hissed dangerously, latex-gloved hands curling into fists.

Maya's sigh was shaky. "He's my _grandson_ , Calliope! He's the same age as the boy you're currently treating like a lab rat! He even _looks_ like Donatello! How much of a _monster_ could you possibly be to see a boy just like your own _son_ , and then conduct such horrible experiments on him?" In her absolute rage, Maya slammed the dish onto the ground, resulting in a satisfying shattering sound. "I thought I knew you…"

Calliope's face was turning bright red and her eyes were shining with a fury Maya had never seen. "You…" Her voice was quiet but powerful and threatening. "You think you can fucking _judge_ me like that? You were slut at my age! You exposed your own daughter to the horrible lifestyle you scrounged up from the trash! How _dare_ you!" Maya was admittedly hurt at the verbal assault and the reminder of her past mistakes.

"Yes, but I always _loved_ you! I told you every single day! I never hurt you, I never insulted you, and I worked four jobs to feed you and care for you! You have all the means and luxuries possible to raise your child, and you don't care about him at all, do you?" Maya's voice cracked. She hated spewing such poison at her own daughter, but she knew, deep down, that every single word of her tirade was true. Calliope had never, as far as Maya could tell, told Seth she loved him. She'd never played with him, never indulged in his childish imaginations, and completely stopped interacting with him once he was old enough that she could leave him home alone for long periods of time- which she spent at work, not bothering to call him to at least make sure he was okay, or to let him know she was still accessible even when she wasn't physically with him. She'd never brought Seth up in conversation, no matter what he'd achieved or what milestone he'd reached. She provided his basic needs in abundance, but she didn't cook his dinner, didn't drive him to school, didn't talk to his teachers, didn't keep tabs on where he was, who he was with, or what he was doing, and she never touched him unless it was accidental or absolutely necessary. When he was afflicted with bad pneumonia, Calliope had only dropped him off at the hospital, checked him in, and then let Maya stay by his bedside and drive him home after four days. She was, in all technicality, a mother, but she wasn't a _mom_ , and showed no interest in trying to be. "There is something very wrong with you, Calliope, and I only wish I had seen it sooner." Calliope straightened her posture and schooled her features, all signs of her fiery temper completely gone.

"Unfortunately for you, those are simple opinions. I only deal with facts. Please leave. I have work to do." She said with burning politeness in her tone. She turned back to her work station and began examining the scrapings she'd gotten under a microscope. Maya's chin trembled as she stared at the young woman she had brought into this world.

"Oh, Callie…" She whispered brokenly. She knew her daughter had heard, since she stiffened, but other than that Calliope wouldn't dignify her with a response. "This is never what I had hoped for you… The very first time I held you in my arms, I wished the happiest, most loving life for you. You could get married, have kids of your own, work a job you loved… I never imagined… _this._ " Calliope still wouldn't reply. "Well, I hope you're happy with what you _did_ get." With that, Maya turned and stalked from the room, thoroughly shaken by all that had been made blatantly clear to her in that one interaction. Her daughter, her Callie-Callie-Dilly-Dally, the little infant that brought light to her rough teenage life, was a sociopath. A manipulator. It broke her heart and filled her eyes with tears. How had this happened? When had fun-loving, affectionate Callie changed into cold, unfeeling Calliope? What had Maya done wrong?

She was so entranced in her thoughts that she jumped when her phone started ringing. Letting out a watery breath, she tried to compose herself as she put the phone to her ear and said, perhaps a little too cheerfully, "Hello?"

All thoughts of her failure at parenthood flew out the window when a teenaged boy's voice greeted her. "Hello, Maya? It's Leonardo. What's the plan?"

 **Dun dun duuuuun! Was anyone thrown for a loop by that plot twist? :P More will be explained about Calliope and Maya's situation later on, promise! For now, just bask in the mysteriousness of it all!**

 **Ooh! The rescue chapter is coming up soon! I hope to get that up in the next few weeks, but, sadly, the end of school is quickly approaching, meaning I'll most likely have to go on another hiatus during the entire summer vacation, considering I write on a school laptop and we turn those in at the end of the year. Hopefully I can save up enough to get my own laptop, but I'm not the most responsible spender, and laptops are freaking EXPENSIVE. I'll try, though. Anyway, just a little forewarning.**

 **Did you enjoy the chapter? Be sure to let me know with some feedback! Constructive criticism is more than welcome!**

 **Anyways, have a lovely evening, Lovelies!**

 **-Violet**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm aliiiive! I know, it's been a VERY long time since I've updated this- just remember, if nothing else, that I NEVER abandon stories. I hate it when stories I like are left incomplete, and I wouldn't do that to you, lovely readers!**

 **Yeah, so my cat had 9 kittens. Then I was bombarded with deadlines for colleges and plans and scholarships and essays and _eugh_. I am a busy, busy bee! Also, most of my time to write is spent writing with my bestie, VanillaAshes. We've got a few Avengers fics going currently, some on my account and some on hers, so feel free to check those out! Those are updated much more frequently, partly because Vanilla insists on updating in a timely manner so we write often to stay ahead of the game, and partly because with two of us it's easier to be motivated to keep going and to get out of slumps or get around writer's block. So yeah, those have been getting way more attention than my own little babies, unfortunately :P Still, once again, I won't abandon this. It'll just be longer between updates.**

 **Anyway, here's the long-awaited (first half of the) rescue scene!**

Leo listened as the older woman sucked in a breath on the other end of the line. "Oh, yes…" She sounded oddly hesitant. "Hang on." There was a good thirty seconds of rustling coming through the T-Phone before she was back. "Okay, I don't _think_ this area is bugged. But I'm still going to talk very quietly, okay?"

"Got it," Leonardo replied. At the pleading look the others gave him, he sighed and put the phone on speaker, his pointed gaze telling his brothers and their two friends that they weren't to make a sound unless it was called for. "So, what's the plan?" Mikey got a bit fidgety in eagerness, eyes transfixed on the phone.

Maya let out a breath. "Well, Donatello and I had come up with a plan originally, but I'm not sure it'll work out as well as we'd hoped it would… I was supposed to have the police come and raid the building, and since he looks like a human that's been experimented on they would take him to the hospital, where you could more easily and safely break him out."

Raph's expression clearly indicated that this idea was not pleasing to him. Far too few skulls would be available for breakage. "And what if they're able to hold off the police long enough to take Donnie somewhere else? Or kill him?" He challenged, looking sickened at the thought.

The other four exchanged nods of agreement- after all, Shredder likely wouldn't leave his scientists defenseless, so it was highly likely they could fight off the police until the evidence had been… removed.

The older woman didn't speak for a moment, but when she did, her voice was pained. "I didn't think them capable of it when we came up with the plan… but yes, that is one reason why it won't work. I'm sure they'd be notified of the police's arrival long in advance, and then Donatello would be at too great a risk." She sighed again. "So I'm not sure what other choices we have besides the old-fashioned break-in, break-out."

Now _that_ , that brought a grim smirk to Raphael's face as he brandished a sai and gripped it tightly.

Leo scrubbed a hand over his face as he thought it over. The first plan was safer for the rest of them, but put Donnie- weak, frail, defenseless Donnie- at greater risk. The second plan gave them the element of surprise, so nothing could be done to dispose of Donnie beforehand, but it came at great risk to the rest of them; they wouldn't be able to sneak in and steal him away under the enemy's nose in a way similar to how they'd gone to look at him- the vents were guarded with a laser grid, and without Donnie himself to help out, they had no hopes of getting in that way. The cell had no windows. The only way to actually get inside was through the door, and that meant they were guaranteed to be noticed. Meaning they would have to put up a fight and hope there weren't too many Foot soldiers on standby in the building.

Was he willing to risk his two other brothers and their two human friends for Donnie's sake?

In the end, he knew it wasn't his choice to make.

He turned to the others. "Are you all willing to put yourselves at risk for the second plan? It's riskier for us, but safer for Donnie."

Of course, that was a stupid question.

"Hell yeah!" Raph cried.

Mikey looked offended. "Of _course_ , Dude!"

"Do you _really_ have to ask?" April asked, cocking a hip and folding her arms, although her eyes were softer than her tone implied.

They all looked to Casey, who had yet to respond. He smirked and pulled his hockey mask down onto his face, snagging a hockey stick from the carrier on his back. "Let's _do_ this!"

Heartened by the selflessness of those he was proud to call his family, Leo smiled just a little, nodded resolutely and addressed their spy. "Maya, when should we make our entrance?"

She didn't hesitate. "Now."

* * *

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. Donatello gasped and sat upright on the bed, a mangled scream erupting from his mouth, both of terror and of pain- his back exploded with agony at the sudden sharp movement. His tears spilled over and fell down his face, and he let out another sob, frantically searching the room for Maya. God, God, his _eye_! The needle, the pain, the _pain_! And… no, his eye was so damaged! He could hardly see!

"Maya!" He cried. "Maya!"

The door was flung open and the woman came bustling in, eyes alight with something he couldn't determine. She said nothing until she was right beside him and leaned over, whispering in his ear, "They're coming! Right now! They're coming!"

His heart seemed to stop beating for a minute and his eyes widened. He stared at her, mouth hanging open and fresh tears welling up. "But… that wasn't…!"

"I know," she interrupted, silencing him and looking around warily. "Change of plans. This is safer, trust me."

Donnie shook his head vehemently, whining a little when it pulled at his upper back. "No, it's too dangerous! They could get hurt!" After all, he'd carefully chosen the hospital plan specifically to make sure there were no risks to his family. He couldn't bear to see one of them hurt on top of dealing with his own pain. "Please, tell them to-" he jumped when a large _slam_ reverberated throughout the building, followed by a piercing alarm splitting the air, effectively cutting him off. His heart hammered even harder than before and by now his face was absolutely coated with blood-mingled tears.

Maya seemed excited by the sound. "They're here- it's too late to send them back," she insisted, pulling the comforter off of his lap and maneuvering him to sit on the edge of the bed. Her movements quick and frantic, she took a hairtie from her wrist, carefully turned his head a little, and deftly pulled his hair out of the way and into a ponytail at the base of his skull, careful to avoid tugging on the shorter hairs starting to grow back in the shaved patch.

Donnie didn't fight her, tempted as he was, but he continued to voice his protests. "Maya, please! Just breaking in is dangerous! There are so many Foot here!"

She pulled her own sweater over his head and carefully worked his arms through the sleeves. "There are less than usual this week- your brothers took out most of their ranks last week." She slipped a pair of soft socks over his feet, a very odd sensation- he'd never worn socks before in his life. They were a bit big on his scrawny little feet, and he wasn't a big fan of how his toenails caught the fabric every once in awhile, but they provided extra warmth and he was glad for it.

Then Maya pulled out a roll of plaster cast material and shrugged at his confused look. "Your feet need to be protected, and we don't have shoes for you." After the hasty explanation, she began wrapping the plaster liberally around one foot, then moved on to the next, with sounds of destruction and battle getting closer and louder each passing second. Donnie's gut was taut with anxiety and he locked his gaze on the door, wanting to keep protesting but also daring to hope that he would finally be going home, finally be able to see his family again. He knew his brothers wouldn't leave this place without him now that they'd gotten so close- they were just down the hallway, he estimated, although his ears didn't work in a way he was used to (having exterior ears really made a difference in how he processed sounds- it was like adding a satellite dish to each side of his head, bouncing the sounds around and distorting distance and location. He still wasn't used to it, not even after months of experience).

Once she was done with his feet, Maya adjusted the drawstring on his loose hospital pants to make it just a little tighter- because wouldn't that be awkward, reuniting with his family and having his pants fall down- and then she reached over and grabbed the white beanie from the end of the bed, positioning it on his head to cover his scalp to keep it warm and semi-protected. "There we go, Baby."

Maya smiled at him, cupping his cheek in her hand lovingly, and placed a kiss on his forehead before standing and going cautiously to the door, peering through the thick window and out into the hallway. She tensed in preparation and stayed absolutely still, hand on the access button, and Donnie felt the urge to hold his breath in anticipation. He could see several Foot soldiers run past the door, only to go flying backwards seconds later.

His breath caught in his throat as he blurrily saw her arm tense further, about ready to push the button. Three… two… one. She pressed it and jumped back just in time to avoid being trampled by three mutant turtles as they swiftly sprinted inside, followed immediately by at least ten Foot soldiers.

The sight of his brothers brought fresh tears to his constantly watery eyes. They were exactly how they always were, strong, imposing, _safe_. But they were also what he used to be, and suddenly he felt like a stranger amongst his own brothers. They looked so _big_ now! Thankfully the relief at seeing them here, alive and well and taking him home, was much more powerful than his grief. A watery smile pulled at his lips and he let out a mixture of sob and laughter, unable to quite believe that finally, he was with his family again.

Leo, Raph, and Mikey stood with their shells facing him, forming a barrier between the Foot- he noted that these ones bore the marks of being machinery, which was probably why they were still standing; they were hardier than their human counterparts- and the rest of the room. He wanted to call out to his brothers, hug them, but he knew any distractions could be fatal. So he clamped down on the cry rising in his throat and slowly stood, thankful that he didn't lose his balance in the process. Once standing, he carefully went to stand against the far wall, maintaining a pretty good distance from the battle.

Leo and Mikey took on six of the soldiers, with Raph attacking the remaining five, and Donnie watched anxiously as Maya ran back to the door and closed it before more Foot could swarm inside, holding the button down to prevent them opening it from the outside with the key code.

But something was off. Donnie didn't like the way the Foot kept sending him looks as they battled his brothers. Like they were planning something.

Because he noticed this in time, he was able to detect the fact that a handful of throwing stars were now soaring at him- of course, they were trying to get rid of him before he could be taken back.

His completeness as a human could be proven through an autopsy, after all- while he was sure they wanted to show how his mind was still intact, he knew the Shredder would accept whatever results they could give him so long as there was a subject there to corroborate.

With a strained cry, Donnie did the only thing he could to evade while still staying upright- something he hadn't done in almost a year. He ran.

He only ran a few feet, along the wall until he was at the opposite corner, but by the time he had stopped, the shuriken embedded in the wall several feet away, his lungs were on fire and his already blurred vision was swimming. He coughed between breaths, clenching his eyes shut for a few seconds before forcing them open again. He was a target- he couldn't let himself be hurt.

Leo and Mikey were close to dispatching all of their opponents, with Raph practically tearing his apart in his anger.

Then one of Raph's targets broke free from the fight and ran at the former turtle. Donnie barely had time to dive to the ground as the last soldier launched a stun grenade his way, his ribs immediately screaming in protest at the sharp impact with the tiles and his head aching from where his forehead had made contact as well. The breath was wrenched from his lungs and suddenly he was fighting unconsciousness. Pathetic, weak! One movement was enough to have him struggling to stay awake. How could he possibly be useful to his family anymore when he could contribute nothing and would only slow them down?

He saw the soldier trying to come after him manually, sword drawn and ready to slice into his vulnerable flesh, but Donnie wasn't worried- and his confidence was rightly placed. Mikey full-on tackled the Foot soldier to the ground, aiming punches and kicks at every body part he could access.

"Stay! Away! From! My! Brother!" The youngest turtle was shouting between delivering blows, uncharacteristically furious. Not two seconds later the soldier was officially down for the count.

Donnie tried to get to his feet, trying to brace his arms beneath him, to get up and be able to at the very least walk out of this prison with some semblance of dignity, but his arms shook and quickly gave out, the breath leaving his lungs again. Maybe that dive had caused more damage than he'd thought… He laid there on the ground, trying to breathe and keep his fluttering eyelids open.

"Donatello!" Maya ran over to his side, her footsteps joined by several others, and rolled him onto his back, eliciting another cry from him as his back was set ablaze. "Honey, come on, get up!" She sounded desperate.

Donnie coughed and tried to focus on her face, but his head was ringing and he couldn't quite… process. The lights were too bright, the air was too thin.

He heard an achingly familiar voice come from behind her somewhere. "Donnie?"

Then another person approached, leaning over him and filling his vision with green and orange. "DONNIE!" He couldn't tell if his brother was excited, scared, or both. He only knew that the loud voice was hurting his head, bouncing around his stupid new ears before assaulting his brain.

But he knew those two voices, he knew them better than his own, and he knew that everything would be okay as long as his brothers were there. He tried to say something reassuring, but all that emerged was a mixture of a gasp and a choking noise.

"Donnie, bro, come on! You'll be okay, just stay awake!" Donnie's eyes were sliding shut, and he promptly forced them back open, trying to focus and regain control of his own body. His lungs were nearly spasming with desperation to take in as much oxygen as possible, which was making him light-headed, and he couldn't seem to slow them down. His chest kept jumping uncontrollably, as though he had horrible hiccups in rapid succession.

Familiar calloused hands levered themselves under his head as gently as they could before moving on to his back, making him gasp in pain as those bulky fingers brushed a particularly bad spot. "Sorry, Donnie," the owner of the hands apologized, before he was carefully lifted into a seated position, one of the hands going to his chest to keep him from falling forwards. He willed his traitorous muscles to obey as he turned his head to peer up at his brother.

As screwy as his head currently was, he still recognized Leo immediately, and his lips curled into a smile- pained as it was- to see his brother so near. Wow; up close his oldest brother was now a giant. "Hi," he said breathlessly, pleased to note that his lungs were gradually being loosed from the clutches of muscle spasms. Finally, his head cleared just a little, and he could think somewhat clearly again.

Leonardo blinked in slight surprise- whether at the rather simple, anticlimactic greeting or at the fact that Donnie was still fairly cognizant, Donnie wasn't quite sure- before he returned the smile, eyes looking dangerously close to watery. "Hey, little brother," the older turtle replied, hundreds of emotions bubbling up in his inflection that made Donnie's own heart seize a little.

The turtle-turned-human stayed silent for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts and taking a few larger breaths, the expansion of his ribcage pushing painfully against the various healing wounds on his back, before he steeled himself, putting his arms on the floor on either side and waiting until he was steady to gently lean out of Leo's supporting grip. The older boy made a sound of protest and moved to support him again, but Donnie shook his head, carefully keeping his breathing under control. His vision was spinning a bit, yes, but he was fairly certain he could handle sitting up.

"'M okay," he assured Leo. Now he could see just a bit better as well, and now he could see that Mikey had gone to help Raph dispatch the rest of his opponents while Maya went back to hold the door shut. Quite a few more Foot managed to slip in while the door wasn't manned, so the other two turtles had their hands full keeping them from reaching their weakest brother. Donnie tried not to think on how he was a hinderance now, instead focusing on keeping himself as cognizant as possible so he could help as much as he could.

Thankfully, it seemed the blow to his head _wasn't_ as bad as he'd feared- he'd been afraid of a concussion, but it seemed what had nearly stolen his consciousness was pain and temporary lack of oxygen. Now that he was recovered from the shock of the fall he'd taken, his head was pretty much cleared. Although his muscles were still not quite obeying his brain's commands as fast he'd like.

"Don't worry, we'll getcha out of here," Leo assured him, reminding Donnie of his hovering presence. Donnie gave a small nod, eyes not leaving the fight off to their right. Raph delivered a quick jab to the Foot's abdomen, crushing some of its internal workings visibly getting damaged. If Raph kept landing hits there, the machine would be down shortly; only a few of the many wires connecting its 'brain' to the lower half of its body needed to be disconnected for function to be cut off.

True to Donnie's prediction, the droid was down after two more blows to its stomach, although Donnie had to wonder if Raph had known that would happen or if his hotheaded brother was just hitting whatever he could.

A hand nudged his upper arm carefully, and he tore his eyes from the combat and tilted his head to look over at Leo. He noted his oldest brother's oddly relieved expression. "What?"

Leo had a gentle smile on his lips. "Got some ideas?" He asked, voice a little cautious in a way Donnie recognized as assuring him that there was no pressure on him to do anything he wasn't ready for.

The smaller teen furrowed his brows, absently noting how Leo's attention was drawn to them in slight wonderment before returning to making eye contact, and he frowned a little. "Uh… what?"

His brother's expression evened out just a little, still rather happy although not as hopeful. "Sorry, you just had that look- you know, when you're strategizing?" He shrugged sheepishly, turning his gaze to their other two brothers while Donnie stared up at Leo, surprised.

Where did he begin? He was stunned that Leo was asking him for help even though even Donnie himself had assumed he'd be written off as an objective instead of an asset. He was in poor physical shape and had almost lost consciousness just minutes ago, and still Leo trusted his judgment? A warm fuzzy feeling sprouted in his stomach at the thought. Maybe he _could_ still be useful. Maybe he _could_ still be part of the team.

Then there was the fact that Leo knew his expressions, especially one that he rarely had on his face outside of battle, where surely Leo would be too busy to truly study his face. He hadn't realized how much his brothers noticed and knew about him. Had they always been able to read him so easily? Why was it only coming up now?

And then there was the fact that, even with his face being virtually nothing like what it had been for their entire lives together, Leo could still recognize his unique expressions. Could he truly not be as completely different as he'd thought? Something was similar in his face, clearly.

Overall, Donnie found his confidence, so decimated for the past few months, being built back up slowly but surely. Leo wanted to hear his ideas. He had faith that, even in this state, Donnie could be everything he always was. While Donnie knew, deep down, that that certainly wasn't completely true, it allowed him to hope again. He still had his brain, which had always been his biggest advantage in fights. He could do something.

New determination borne from those few lines of dialogue, Donnie turned his gaze once more to the scene and returned to what he'd been unknowingly doing before- analyzing. Blinking a little to clear his vision as best he could, he scanned his eyes over his brothers, engaged in combat, then Maya, struggling to keep out of the way of the fight while still keeping the door held shut, and then the layout of this room that had served as his personal hell for nearly nine months.

* * *

Leo drew his katana, deflecting a throwing star that had been aimed for his little brother. Damn it, they were still trying to kill Donnie! He'd hoped the others would keep the 'bots busy, but one had managed to slip some shuriken from its belt and fling them between exchanging blows with Mikey.

More alert than before, Leo positioned himself to block Donnie from the machines to better protect him. It was only after a minute and there was only one more left that he spared a glance at his now smallest sibling, making sure he was still okay and not about to pass out again.

The sight that met him had his smile returning. The little semi-human was scanning huge eyes over everything around them, mismatched orbs darting back and forth, face blank as he put all of his focus into studying the environment. He could almost see the wheels turning behind those giant eyes, calculating, analyzing, strategizing. This was the Donnie he knew and loved; some things could never be changed. Physically, Donnie was a completely different person, but his personality and intellect couldn't be taken from him. It was heartening.

A spark of excitement appeared in those studying eyes, and then they locked onto Leo's with surprising intensity. Donnie's small face pulled into a confident smile, eyebrows pulling down slightly in determination. The expression was one he'd seen on Donnie many times, but now the smile seemed somewhat foreign, all fleshy lips and sharp canines and distinct teeth. Still, that didn't make the smile any less welcome, and Leo liked it on Donnie now just as much as he did when his brother was still a turtle. It suited him, expressing the confidence he rarely let others see.

Donnie's voice, so familiar and yet so strange all the same, was stronger than Leo had heard it since they'd arrived. "I have an idea."

 **Oooh, Donnie's so cute :) I know he may sound like he's a little kid by how I describe his body, but he basically is one, just, you know, he's a teenager. He's a really tiny teenager, because he's so cute and I can't help but channel my fangirling over his cuteness. He's sassy, but he's such a child sometimes.**

 **I hope this chapter doesn't seem disjointed with the rest of this fic- it's been a while since I've written for it and it's hard to get back into the groove.**

 **Have I mentioned, (off topic now), that I haven't seen anything of the show past maybe halfway through season 2? We don't have cable anymore and I can't find any sites to watch it for free, so this is basically an AU of everything, since I'm sure lots has happened on the show during the same time period as this fic is taking place. Sorry for any inaccuracies!**

 **Thanks for sticking with me, beautiful readers!**

 **Have a great day!**

 **-Violet**


End file.
